Run-in as owl swoops to conquer

A flying fiend which has been attacking joggers in an Oregon park is a notorious barred owl, experts say – a species the US government is spending millions to kill.

One runner who was attacked in Salem on January 13 said he thought he was having a stroke when the bird twice struck him on the head.

Barred owls are particularly territorial and vicious during their mating season, which lasts a few more weeks.

A great horned owl was initially suspected, but according to the Salem Statesman Journal, Audubon Society birders have now identified it as a barred owl, an invasive species from the east that is the greatest threat to northern spotted owls, a threatened species.

The US Forest Service is engaged in a 3.5 million-dollar (£2.3m) experiment to see if shooting barred owls will help spotted owls turn around their downward population trend.